Atheros Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATHR), Santa Clara, Calif., a
leading developer of advanced wireless solutions, has announced the
second member of its growing ROCm(TM) family of Bluetooth wireless
solutions -- the Atheros AR3031. This system-on-chip (SoC) meets the
growing demand for Bluetooth wireless mono headsets by providing a
powerful combination of market-leading power-efficiency, design
flexibility and cost.
The solution employs Atheros' leading RF CMOS and systems
engineering expertise to deliver the industry's lowest
bill-of-materials (BOM) cost using an economical, single-chip, 5mm x 5mm
QFN package, while most competitive solutions use more expensive BGA
packages. The AR3031 also features an integrated, high-density Read-Only
Memory, which provides greater cost-efficiencies over higher-priced,
competitive Flash-based solutions.
Demand for Bluetooth wireless mono headsets has continued to
increase at a dramatic 30 percent pace over the last 12 months, driven
by cellular phone users' desire for hands-free operation and the
widespread development of related driving legislation. According to IMS
Research, by 2009 the total worldwide market for Bluetooth-enabled
wireless headsets will be 127 million; 110 million for low-cost mono
headsets; 17 million for stereo audio headsets (1).
"With Atheros' AR3031, the company is addressing the
second-largest Bluetooth market, significantly expanding our presence in
the Bluetooth arena," said Sam Endy, vice president and general
manager of the Mobile Wireless Business Unit for Atheros. "The
AR3031 delivers unprecedented levels of power-efficiency and design
flexibility, while driving a highly aggressive price point to give our
customers a competitive edge."
Industry's Lowest-Power Bluetooth for Headsets
The AR3031 achieves 20 percent greater power efficiency in active
mode than competitive solutions. This is accomplished with
Atheros-designed power-saving protocols, chip architecture and circuit
techniques. The SoC employs Atheros' proprietary Direct Memory
Access (DMA) protocol, a power-savings mechanism which allows devices to
transfer data with minimal CPU involvement. The AR3031 architecture also
features power refinements achieved through circuit design techniques,
including fine-grained clock gating and use of voltage islands, and also
features an integrated low-power oscillator. Additional power savings
are derived with the design's 1.2V power supply which offers
greater battery efficiency than that found in competitive solutions.
Optimal Design Flexibility
The highly-versatile AR3031 SoC supports standard codec interfaces,
allowing designers to utilize the solution in virtually any Bluetooth
wireless headset design. To enable easy headset feature customization,
the solution offers a PC-based design platform, Atheros Headset Studio,
which allows OEMs to create product differentiation with custom ring
tones, button function configurations, LED light patterns and other
consumer-friendly product attributes. The solution features all the
necessary profiles and software integrated into the chipset's
firmware and also supports a range of external codecs with DSP
capabilities for advanced audio processing. The solution's
completeness enables ease of porting to provide manufacturers with
significant time-to-market advantage.
Additional Features
The AR3031 solution features an integrated 32-bit CPU, 32 KB RAM
and RF Switch, and does not require an external Balun. It includes a PCM
interface for audio, as well as general purpose input/outputs (GPIOs)
for LEDs and buttons, and dual 1.2V voltage regulators on-board.
Product Availability
The AR3031 is currently sampling to customers and will be in volume
production in the first quarter of 2008.
About Atheros Communications, Inc.
Atheros Communications is a leading developer of semiconductor
system solutions for wireless and other network communications products.
Atheros combines its wireless and networking systems expertise with
high-performance radio frequency (RF), mixed signal and digital
semiconductor design skills to provide highly integrated chipsets that
are manufactured on low-cost, standard complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) processes. Atheros technology is used by a broad
base of leading customers, including personal computer, networking
equipment and consumer device manufacturers.
For more information, visit http://www.atheros.com or call
408/720-5597.
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